Reading right into the summer
JUDD WILSON/Press Canfield Middle School seventh-grader Ethan Peterson reads to K-3 students at Monday’s CdA Reads event hosted by the Hayden Community Library.
Nanette Braby reads a Ninjago book to her grandson, Ethan Schanuth, on Monday at the Hayden Community Library. The Borah Elementary School second-grader has been to all the CdA Reads events so far this summer, said Braby.
By JUDD WILSON
Staff Writer
HAYDEN — A year ago, Riley Lechleitner read 18 words per minute. Thanks to reading at home and the encouragement of first-grade teacher Kathy Jones, the Ramsey Magnet School of Science student now reads 120 words per minute.
That adds up to a lot more enjoyment.
Chapter books like Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House series are near the top of the list, said Riley’s mom, Krista. Her two kids, Riley and Thatcher, were among the 152 children who took part in the fun when the Coeur d’Alene School District’s summer reading program, CdA Reads, gathered at the Hayden Community Library on Monday.
CdA Reads is the successor to previous programs known as Summer Scholars and Summer School, said program coordinator Spencer Normington. The brainchild of district director of title programs Anna Wilson differs from its predecessors by being more oriented toward parental involvement, he added.
CdA Reads takes place each Monday and Wednesday in different locations around the district. Each event lasts from 10 a.m. to noon and is led in part by district teachers and older students who volunteer to help their younger classmates.
Canfield Middle School sixth-grade teacher Alli Robitaille said about 30 of these middle school and high school-age volunteers take part in each session. They read to the young kids and lead them in music and games. Normington said he’s been amazed to see groups of kids sitting still and working through challenging words with their student mentors for 45 minutes to an hour.
Canfield Middle School seventh-graders Ethan Peterson and Kamryn Wixom have read with their younger peers a few times, they said. Their group members had a few good laughs with a My Little Pony book at Monday’s event. Hayden grandfather Bill Cantrell said he’s been very impressed with the program’s volunteers. They’ve done a great job helping his grandkids, Brody and Payton Cantrell, with reading, he said.
Not only does each event provide children with quality reading time with their family or mentors, but they also receive a CdAReads T-shirt, a free school lunch, and three new books of their choosing to take home.
Winton Elementary School teacher Jodi Johnson said, “I want children to feel inspired to read and have access to books on their own bookshelves at home.”
Coeur d’Alene grandmother Nanette Braby said her grandson, Ethan Schanuth, has been to three CdA Reads events since school was out.
“This is great,” she said. “It keeps him working on his reading all summer.”
It was a great way to build up his book library at home as well, where he reads daily with his mom, she said.
CdA Reads will continue through early August, with future dates and locations as follows:
Wednesday, June 27 - Bryan Elementary
Monday, July 9 - Riverstone Park
Wednesday, July 11 - CdA Public Library
Monday, July 16 - Atlas Elementary
Wednesday, July 18 - Northwest Expedition Academy
Monday, July 23 - Winton Elementary
Wednesday, July 25 - Skyway Elementary
Monday, July 30 - Sorensen Magnet School
Wednesday, Aug. 1 - KROC Center
Monday, Aug. 6 - Boys & Girls Club
Wednesday, Aug. 8 - Hayden Meadows
CdA Reads is a free program. All currently enrolled kindergarten through third grade students in the Coeur d’Alene School District are eligible to attend. Parents of those students do not need to stay for the program, but are invited to read with them during the program and at home, explained Normington. No registration is required, and participants are welcome to attend any or all of the events. There is no limit on the number of students per event.
Incoming kindergartners, as well as fourth and fifth-graders who struggle with reading, may attend and might even get a free book. However, parents of incoming kindergartners and older readers must stay with their children during the entire event.
Reading books can reverse the summer slide in literacy skills, according to University of Tennessee professor Richard Allington. He and his colleagues “found that giving kids 12 books to read over the summer was as effective as summer school in raising the students’ reading scores,” explains the CdA Reads website.
To encourage summer reading, the school district also provides a free OverDrive account to all students and staff. The account allows users to check out eBooks using their personal computer, phone, tablet or iPad. Students and staff can access the OverDrive Library from school or at home by logging in with their school district username and password. To use OverDrive on a personal device, download the OverDrive App or the Sora app from your app store or soraapp.com. For more information on OverDrive or how to log in, go to: bit.ly/2Kal9HA
For more information on CdA Reads, go to www.cdaschools.org/cdareads, or contact snormington@cdaschools.org or 208-664-8241.